He could have taken the car to any parts place (like AutoZone) and they would have pulled the trouble code for him free of charge. If the code indicated that he needed the valve, they would have gladly sold him one and he could have changed it himself or had somebody else do it. For a lot less than $235 I'm sure. The stalk switch could be found at a junkyard for maybe $50.
Yes, I guess these charges are reasonable for a dealership. As for the diagnosis charge, some shops will waive that if you allow them to do the repair. I don't know what a VSV does, but it probably has something to do with emission controls.